Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

I figure a new entry will let worried people see this faster than posting followups to each comment to my scary previous entry...

I've had some normal sleep, but not very much (I woke up every half-hour or hour). Right now what I mostly feel is seriously sleep-deprived, a little dehydrated, and "caffeine hangover" -- the caffeine seemed to help a little, but not all parts of me liked the caffeine. I'm dizzy, but it's that somewhat too familiar "I haven't finished sleeping" type of dizzy feeling. I feel weak, but all my parts seem to be properly under conscious control.

I do not currently have medical insurance or an HMO; I do not currently have a regular doctor. I'm really not sure where I should go with this. Or how much of a paperwork nightmare it's going to wind up being. To the folks saying "TIA", "stroke", or "something neurological", yeah, those are the "too-scary land" that I didn't want to think about.

Each of the symptoms is something I've experienced before, though I don't recall onset of the "must lie down NOW" feeling being that sudden before. (And yes, I'm aware that my having experienced each of the symptoms before could mean that it's not the first time Something Bad has happened, as easily as it could mean "Oh, it's just that again".) I'm not sure whether I've experienced all of these symptoms at the same time before. Yes, it is/was scary. I looked up TIA and -- eek -- I see why folks are saying that. (And yes, I saw the part about feeling better again afterwards but not actually being safe-better.) On the other hand, the symptoms are also consistent with migraine, AFAIK, and caffeine did seem to help a little bit. I really hope it wasn't a stroke or TIA. *worried*

This episode actually highlights one of the confusing and frustrating things about fibromyalgia: because both fibromyalgia and migraine can mimic much more urgently dire conditions, one is often left wondering, "Was that something I need to go seek treatment for right away, or is it 'just the fibro' / 'just the migraine' and they won't be able to do much for me other than tell me to wait for it to pass?" So basically it can mask more serious problems, and it can cause lots of extra fear and expense by suggesting more serious problems that aren't there. :-(

Doctors were convinced she-who-must-not-be-named was having Major Scary Neurological Bad Stuff before they figured out that her "fall down and not have control over limbs" episodes were actually a form of migraine. (Well, I guess migraine does count as neurological bad stuff, but not as major-scary as a stroke.)

I'm not sure what to do about medical care, especially since at this moment it doesn't seem like an "emergency" any more.

And I'm torn between being worried myself and trying to reassure everyone else that I'm okay.

Bleah.

I'll go check alt.med.fibromyalgia for followups there, and start on replying to comments to my last entry unless I decide to go lie down again first.